Rocky Mountains, 151 



tures of a mountainous region. The sandstone, which ap- 

 pears in the beds of the streams and the sides of the hills, is 

 coarse and hard, of a dark gray colour, and a horizontally 

 laminated structure. It is deeply covered with a soil of con- 

 siderable fertility, sustaining heavy forests of oak. Among 

 these trees, the upland white oak is common, but is of rather 

 diminutive size, and often hollow. In a tree of this de- 

 scription we observed as we passed the habitation of a swarm 

 of bees, and, as it was not convenient at that time to stop, we 

 fixed a mark upon it and proceeded to make the best of our 

 way towards the river. On descending the hills, we found 

 the valley of the river much contracted in width, and the 

 bed itself occupying less space by half than where we had 

 left it above. 



On the following day, the party remained encamped, to 

 take observations, and afford an opportunity for rest to the 

 horses. Some of the men went back about six miles to the 

 bee tree we had passed on the preceding day, and brought 

 in a small quantity of honey, inclosed in the skin of a deer 

 recently killed. About our camp we examined several ledges 

 of sandstone of the coarse dark gray variety above mentioned. 

 In some instances, we found it nearly approaching in cha- 

 racter the glittering crystalline variety of the lead mine 

 district, but we sought in vain for an opportunity to observe 

 the manner of its connexion with red sandstone. 



As we were now at the western base of that interesting 

 group of hills, to which we have attempted to give the name 

 of the almost extinct tribe of the Oarks, and, as we believ- 

 ed ourselves near the extreme southern bend of the river we 

 were descending, we thought it important to ascertain our 

 latitude and longitude by as complete sets of observations as 

 circumstances allowed us to make, and this, the favourable 

 position of the moon enabled us to do in the most satis- 

 factory manner. The results will be seen on the map, and 

 the observations themselves are given in the Apendix. 



